An Ottomanelli butcher holds a pair of fine cockbirds.

CHOWING DOWN: The Art of the Game

If the above options aren't available to you, it is time to go the legit route. That means a butcher. The advantage of purchasing through an established butcher, aside from the usual quality and USDA control factors, is the lack of buckshot and other fragments often found in the meat in your pal Peter Paz's freezer that he brought back from his trip to the back country. An established butcher, such as O. Ottomanelli & Sons (if you're in NY they're at: 285 Bleeker St. NYC, 10014; (212) 675-4217), will also clean and trim your meat and dress your bird. What this means is that the product that you take home from the butcher shop will be in ready-to-cook condition. While this is a luxury that you do have to pay for (although there is usually not an extra cost, is will be built into the price), it is certainly worth the price.

To make sure you don't screw up the cooking of your holiday bird,
get yourself a thermometer.

While Sarah and I prefer the big, rich, smoky flavor of "wild" game, there is also the alternative of buying meat and birds that are classified as "farm raised", or "free range". What this means is that those animals are raised under more controlled conditions using special types of feed, vitamins, and growth enhancers. They are also given roughly twice the amount of room to roam as opposed to the room allotted to those animals not raised as "free range". There are other differences between these types of meat and game. We have found the flavor of the farm raised or free range game to be much milder than their truly wild counterparts. The price of the farmed and free range meat is also exorbitant when compared to the wild game.

Before you attempt a home cooked meal centered around game, you should treat yourself to one prepared by an expert. The point being you should have an idea what duck that is prepared rare tastes like before you spend the time following that New York Times Recipe that's next to the photograph your modeling your December 25th feast after. At the restaurant Cascabel, located in SOHO in NY City, chef Tom Valenti's Squab appetizer can be sampled in relative financial comfort at the bar area of the restaurant, as can chef Tom Colecchio's Rabbit Leg at the city's hottest new restaurant, Gramercy Tavern. If you feel like being truly adventurous, you should try a multi-course game meal at The New Deal restaurant located in Greenwich Village. At this restaurant, not only can you get such game staples as deer, moose, wild turkey, and wild duck, but you can also try such unusual items as alligator, bear, and rattlesnake. You can taste all this and a lot more there we won't, but you can.

CHOWING DOWN: The Art of the Game

To make sure you don't screw up the cooking of your holiday bird, get yourself a thermometer.

To make sure you don't screw up the cooking of your holiday bird,
get yourself a thermometer.